Ever since we got word that the all-new, second-generation Chevrolet Colorado will only make its way to North America in approximately two years, we’ve been receiving a plethora of comments and emails about why truck fans are in for such a long wait. So to shed some light on the issue, we asked around the industry and came away with several interesting details.
Simply put, the trucks are not here right now due to the incomplete nature of the tooling process at the Wentzville, MO plant as well as several factors related to certification of emissions of the truck’s engines.
Currently, the Colorado is manufactured at the Rayong plant in Thailand for markets outside of North and South America. Manufacturing at this plant has been planned all along, with the intent of making Rayong the manufacturing hub for all markets outside the Americas. These plans date back to 2009, according to sources. The story, however, seems to be very different when it comes to North America.
While we couldn’t pin down an exact date, we were signaled to believe that the Colorado was not planned for the North American market until the summer or fall of 2011. This would explain the reason for the long lead time for completing the tooling process at Wentzville.
Add to that the fact that building a vehicle in a different country necessitates a new set of suppliers, partners, and logistics processes, and the new Colorado’s absence from the U.S. and Canada isn’t that surprising after all. But we do have to wonder why GM management took so long to decide whether or not to bring the new mid-sized truck to the New World… because at the end of the day, it was this delay in approving the vehicle for North America that has led to the current state of affairs. And with Ford and Dodge/Ram having withdrawn from the midsize segment, let’s hope Toyota and Nissan don’t dominate what’s left.
Ask and you shall receive, Wayne S.
Comments
As excited as I am for its arrival, I am still disappointed. I’ve said this before, but I really think GM should go back to S10/Sonoma territory. Mid-Size trucks like the Colorado are way too close in price to the Full-Sizes, while having much less capability, which is why the market is dying. If they built the Compact S10s again, they would cater to a whole different market and be priced a good $5000 less than the Silverado.
I think there’s a huge market for a vehicle that’s a little more maneuverable with great gas mileage for everyday use, as long as they give us the diesel that the rest of the world gets so that it has the power for hauling a moderate sized camper or boat without struggling on the few weekends that I need it to do so. I don’t have a problem paying near the price of full size for the convenience that I’d get out of this truck!
so like the south american chevy montana truck? pics will be put up in the forums soon
“as well as several factors related to certification of emissions of the truck’s engines” This statement = Diesels 🙂 YEA! Lets hope they make the GMC a mini Avalanche like I heard from a little birdy!
i want the mini-max. my family is a Duramax loving people. the only problem is the size. i mean we live with it but parking at timmies is an excersize in paitience.
I don`t know how it drives but most “world pickups ( available in Asia as well as in Europe ) are work trucks. They`re rough, tough and are not comfortable leather – lined full-size American style pickups. Maybe GM has to polish this truck to bring it stateside.
Well, the last-gen Colorado was a world truck using the same platform and suspension setup globally… The trim difference (like leather) is easy, but still requires time to design and source parts/supplies.
Yep I`ve forgotten. Well I hope GM will do it right a refine a great compact truck.
Have yet to see a Colorado with plushy leather.
The 1963 Chicken Tax ( look it up ) from the Lyndon B. Johnson administration is responsible for a lot of this nonsense. Stuck down in the fine print of this tax which was enacted to protect U.S. Chicken farmers from cheaper, unregulated chickens imported from other countries, are statutes making the import of trucks from across our borders impossible.
This is why Mercedes ( “Freighliner”, 2002-2009 “Dodge” ) Sprinter and Ford Transit Connect vans are manufactured overseas, then disassembled-shipped and reassembled in the USA for sale here. Imagine what the price of a Sprinter ($37,000 short-wheelbase stripper cargo van) would be if it were just allowed to be shipped into the ‘States in one piece! Volkswagen Eurovans became impossible to sell here because their price was sky-high over it’s closest Japanese competitors built in U.S. plants. Today, VW sells a gussied-up version of Chrysler’s minivan with a VW moniker attached. Thank you Chicken Tax? VW makes nice 4X4 diesel vans and commercial vans overseas and in Mexico that would sell like hotcakes here ( I would buy one ). Look up the sheer madness people have tried to actually license a foriegn-made truck here! For years, Toyota got by the law shipping it’s Japanese-built small trucks to it’s L.A. ( NUMMI ) plant shared with GM for partial assembly adding American parts. I paid a couple grand extra for my Japanese-built T100 in 1995 which has numerous GM parts installed to get by some of the tax and import tariffs. Open the hood, and you’ll be greeted by a large “GM” logo imprinted upon it’s plastic radiator!
Thai Colorados cannot make a profit if imported here and reassembled, and a compact truck that’s competitive with Toyota would take years of design and tooling to create. Ford finally has it right by replacing all Econolines with it’s European Transit van which will be built here in America in 2 year’s time.
What we have with Colorado is what Boeing Aircraft Corp. had with the 787 Dreamliner. Boeing had a huge jump on it’s foreign rival, Airbus with its fuel efficient carbon composite jetliner, yet lost much of it’s mojo upon the problems of manufacturing parts overseas. Boeing unprecidentedly took 7 years to finally finish the 787 giving Airbus time to design-build and test their new 787 clone to compete side-by-side. With all the red tape and fiddling, Ford has a good chance to build it’s new-gen Ranger here. The Chicken Tax will definately make that a higher hill to climb for both manufacturers. GM should have a 3 to 4 year monopoly in the small-mid pickup truck segment with Colorado, but it probably will be more like 1-2 years.
Repeal/ Re-write the Chicken Tax = avoid all this complex nonsense to get a decent truck!
Here’s some links for enlightenment re: How the Chicken Tax stifles innovations like Colorado to get here on time.
http://enr.construction.com/opinions/editorials/2009/0603-PromoteInnovation.asp
http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2006/02/should-the-us-keep-the-chicken-tax.html
> Read these short articles and give your own opinion on this very relevant issue.
Thanks – James
Probably because the interior is ugly enough to make grown men cry?
What’s wrong with the interior design?